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Wednesday, 24 February 2016

INDO-ISLAMIC ARC P-1

ORIGINE:

·In the 7thand 8thcenturies CE, Islam spread towards Spain and India.

·Islam came to India particularly with
merchants, traders, holy men and conquerors over a passage of 600 years.

·Although by the 8thcentury
Muslims had begun to construct in Sindh, Gujarat, etc., it was only in the 13thcentury that large-scale building activity was
begun by the Turkish state,
established after the Turkish conquest of the North India.

·Thus, in the field of architecture, a mix of many structural
techniques, stylized shapes, and surface decorations came about through
constant interventions of acceptance, rejections or modifications of
architectural elements.

·In the field of architecture, a mix
of many structural techniques, stylized shapes, and surface decorations came
about through constant interventions of acceptance, rejections or modifications
of architectural elements.

·By the 12thcentury,
India was already familiar with monumental construction in grandiose settings.

·Certain techniques and embellishments
were prevalent and popular, such as trabeation (the use of beam rather than arches or vaulting),
brackets, and multiple pillars to support a flat roof or a small shallow dome.

·The arches in early constructions
were shaped in wood and stone, and were unable to bear the weight of the
domes/top structures.

·Such arches needed to be constructed
with voussoirs (series of interlocking blocks) and fitted with keystones.

·In spite of theobvious Saracenic, Persian and
Turkish influences, Indo-Islamicstructures were heavily influenced by prevailing sensibilities of Indian
architectural and decorative forms.

Categories of Styles

The study of Indo-Islamic architecture is conventionally
categorized as follows:

1.The Imperial Style (Delhi sultanate)

2.The Provincial styles (Mandu, Gujarat, Bengal and Jaunpur)

3.The Mughal Style (Delhi, Agra and Lahore)

4.The Deccani style (Bijapur and Golconda)

·Amongst provincial styles, the architecture of Bengal and Jaunpur is regarded as distinct.

·Gujarat was said to have a markedly regional
character for patrons borrowed elements from the regional
temple traditions such as torans, lintels in mihrabs, carving of bell and chain motifs, and carved panels
depicting trees, for tombs, mosques and dargahs.

·The 15thcentury
white marble dargah of Sheikh Ahmad Khattu of Sarkhej is a good example of
provincial style and it heavily influenced the forms and decoration of Mughal
tombs.

Decorative Forms :

·These forms include designing on plasters through incisions or stucco.

·The designs were either left plain or
covered with colours.

·Motifs
were also painted on or carved in stones.

·These motifs include varieties of
flowers, both from sub-continent and places outside, particularly Iran.

·The lotus bridge fringe was used to great advantage in the inner curves of the
arches.

·The walls were also decorated with Cypress, Chinar,
and other trees as also with flower vases.

·In the 14th, 15thand
16thcenturies, tiles were also used to surface the walls
and the domes.

·Popular colours were blue, turquoise, green and yellow.

·Subsequently the techniques oftessellation
(mosaic designs) and pietra dura (cut and fit technique)were made use of for surface decoration, particularly in
the dodo panels of the walls.

·At times, Lapis Lazuli (a kind of blue stone) was used on the interior walls or on canopies.